Traveling toy rocking horse



Sept. 7, 1954 M. D. JAcoBs 2,688,492

TRAVELING TOY ROCKING HORSE Eiled Aug. 2 4, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l *v0*Javea INVENToR.

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Sept. 7, 1954 M. D. JACOBS TRAVELING TOY ROCKING HORSE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Aug. 24, 1951 Y@ a @N Ems M, 413@ 6 T NN m W 4.. v N hwg 1 4f :k M

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TRAVELING Toy RocKING HORSE Filed Aug. 24. 1951 s sheets-sheet s MA umcfJA cas,

IN V EN TOR.

BY: Wm

Patented Sept. 7, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to rocking devices, particularly advancing ortravelling toy rocking horses, and has for its main object to provide adevice of this character, which will have novel improved construction,and more efficient operation than is the case with similar devicesproposed heretofore.

The present invention is an improvement on the travelling rocking horsefor which Letters Patent of the United States have been issued to me onDecember 6, 1949; No. 2,490,059.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the typementioned which may advance on shorter rearward and forward rocking thanwas the case with the earlier similar devlces.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a travelling oradvancing rocking device, particularly a rocking horse, in which rearand front runners are provided with relative motion between them forcausing the device to advance or travel and in whichthe front ends ofthe both, the rear and front runners will have identical bottomcurvatures or rocking surfaces continued in different but tangentiallymeeting curvatures rearwardly whereby the transition of the rocking ofthe device from one runner to the other will be smooth and withoutshocks.

A further object of my invention is to provide identical registeringrocking surfaces for the fronts of the front and rear runners whereby inthe foremost rocking of the device, the rear runner will be adapted tocarry the weight thereof and relieve the means connecting the tworunners from the strain of such weight in such a position as is the casewith the device of my said patent.

Still another object of this invention is to provide improved novelmeans to prevent a relative motion of the front and rear runners at theone side of the device while permitting relative motion at the otherside, whereby the device upon rocking will also be caused to turn in thedirection of its locked side.

Still further objects of my invention will be apparent as thespecification of the same proceeds or will be pointed out therein.

In the drawings forming a part of this specilcation and accompanyingthesame:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a rocking horse built according to myinvention, a portion of the same being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, the section being ,ner 24.

taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 and parts of the device having beenremoved;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are sectional details of the left hand rocker device,the sections being taken on the respective lines in Fig. 1 and partsbeing removed;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic sectional view of one of the rockers of mydevice showing the relative position of the front and rear runners ofwhich each rocker is composed, at slow forward rocklng;

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic fragmentary view indicating the position of thefronts of the runners when the device is in full forwardly rockedposition and rests on the front part of the rear runner;

Fig. 10 is a similar view for rearward rocking after a quick release ofthe front runner. Dotted lines indicate position of front runner beforerelease showing clearance between its rear portion and the floor.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail by characters of reference,the numeral 20 indicates my device, in general, being mainly composed ofa right hand rocker, generally indicated by the numeral 2l, a left handrocker, generally indicated by the numeral 22, and the toy horse,generally indicated by the numeral 23. The two rockers are of identicalconstruction, wherefore the description of one of them will suice, and Inow proceed to describe the construction of the left hand rocker 22.

The said rocker is composed of a rear runner, generally indicated by thenumeral 24, and a front runner 25.

The rear runner 24 is a plate-like elongated member having a curvedbottom 26 and a top 21, in the embodiment being shown as of the samecurvature as the bottom. It also has right hand and left hand sides 23and 29. In the embodiment shown the rear runner 24 is provided with acentral slot 30 terminating considerably in front of its rear end 3|, asindicated at 32. The rear end of said rear runner 24 is terminated withan upper inclined plane 33, and the front end thereof is also terminatedin a similar inclined manner, as at 36. However, the space or slot 30therein is continued through to the front end, the same being open thereand forming a fork like termination, generally indicated Y by thenumeral 31, for the front end of the run- Except for said open end 31,the -top of the rear runner is closed, as indicated at 38.

In the space or slot 30 of the rear runner is arranged the mentionedfront runner, generally indicated by the numeral 25. This front runneris in the form of a plate 59 which is shorter and somewhat lower thanthe space 3B in the rear runner. It has an angular front formed by thesides 4B and 4I, a curved top 42, a curved rear end 43, and a bottom 44,which is of the same curvature as the bottom 26 of the front of the rearrunner 2li. The two bottoms 25 and 44 of the rear and front runners areregistering only through a part of their extent, as will be eX- plainedhereinafter. The rear runner 24 also is provided with a reduced or cutaway portion 45 in the front part of its bottom 26.

Front and rear curved through-going slots 45 and 4l are arranged in thefront runners, and pins 48 and 49 are secured in the rear runnerscarrying rollers 50 and 5I in the respective slots 46 and 4l whereby thefront and rear runners may have a relative motion to one another throughsaid rollers travelling in said slots, as will be obvious.

A resilient cord or band 52 is secured, at its rear end 53 on the frontrunner, and at its front end 55 on the rear runner, whereby the tworunners are connected with said yielding but resilient member 52.

The resilient band 52 in the normal condition is short, as indicated inFigs. 1 and 10, whereby, normally, the front runner 25 is pulledforwardly with reference to the rear runner 24.

In the embodiment shown, the upper structure of my rocking device is inthe form of a toy rocking horse 23, as has been mentioned, and tosupport the same, front and rear cross members 55 and 55 are secured tothe respective rockers 2l and 22, thereby forming a rigid structure ofthese parts. The toy horse 23 will have a body proper and seat, orsaddle, member 51, a head 58 and front and rear legs 59 and 60.

As will be seen, the toy horse 23 rests by its legs on the respectivecross members 55 and 55.

Grips 5l project from the head 53 whereby the child using the seat 51may have a grip on the head. The head 58 is secured on and is rotatablewith shaft E2, the construction and purpose of which will be more fullyexplained hereinafter.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the device is shown in its position as it is rockingforwardly, after its rearward rocking, and is arriving to a phase of theforward rocking when the support thereof is changing from the rearrunners to the front runners.

The operation of my present rocking device is similar to the onedescribed in my said patent for a travelling rocking horse.

When the user is rocking the device slowly forwardly as shown in Fig. 8(arrow 24a), the same will entirely rest for the latter part of saidmovement on the forward runners, as indicated at 53, since the cut outportions 45 of the rear runners 24 will prevent a friotional engagementof the rear runners, at the said phase of the forward rocking of thedevice, with the ground or oor G4. In such a forward rocking the devicewill frictionally rest on the front runners 25 and will x the same inthis position, on the floor, while the rear runners 24 will slideforwardly with reference to the front runners, under the weight of theupper structure 23 and the person occupying the same, as indicated bythe arrow 55. During such a motion, the rear runner will advanceforwardly with reference to the front runner and the resilient band 52between the two runners will be stretched as shown in Fig. 8.

Upon still further forward rocking the bottom surface 26 of the rearrunner will engage the door and for a short while the front runner willbe released and the band 52 will pull it somewhat forwardly, while atthe unal phase of the forward rocking both runners will grip the oor, asindicated in the fragmentary section of Fig. 9. The former position ofthe front ruimer is indicated in dotted lines.

It is to be noted that from a point 65, about at the end of the cut outpart or recess 45, the rear portion of the bottom 25 of the rear runnerwill have a somewhat larger diameter for its curvature 55a than is thediameter for the front part thereof, which as has been mentioned is thecurvature of the bottom of the front runner all of its length. Thelarger curvature 65a of the rear portion of the rear runner of coursewill be a tangential continuation of the smaller curvature of the frontthereof, so that the rear runner may continue either forward or rearwardrocking over this point, switching from one curve to the-other verysmoothly without any shock.

Now, after the most forward position, as indicated in Fig. 9, the rearrunner starts to rock in a reverse direction, rearwardly, as indicatedby the arrows 24h in Figs. 9 and 10.

For a period of time both runners 24 and 25 will engage the floor 54 andtheir relative position will not change. However, when the rear runnerarrives to the point 55 it will continue to run on the larger rear curve65a and the front runner will be released, having a smaller curvature,as indicated at 26a.

The resilient band 52 now very quickly will pull the front runner intoits foremost position.

Such a phase of the rearward rocking of the device is illustrated inFig. l0.

The device continues its rearward rocking on the rear runner 24 and thenwill again rock forwardly until it arrives to the position of Fig. 8when for a time it again will rest on the front runner 25 and the rearrunner again will slide forwardly, as has been described hereinbefore.

It will be seen that upon a rearward rocking the front runner willadvance, and upon a forward rocking the rear runner will slideforwardly, and myl rocking horse, aside of rocking back and forth, willalso travel as has been described in my said patent.

However, on account of the rear portion of the front runner havingsmaller curvature than the rear part of the rear runner, the release ofthe front runners will be quicker and earlier than was the case with thedevice of said patent and a full measure of advance will be assured inany rocking of the present invention.

A rubber limiting member 68 is secured across the front end of the space30 in the rear runner and the front runner will strike it when arrivingto its foremost position (Fig. 10).

The present device will be adapted to perform a certain amount offorward or advancing movement or travel even with less forward andrearward rocking as was the case with the device of my said patent, andalso on a quick rocking, as will be obvious.

Another great improvement of the present device over the rocking horseof my said patent lies in the fact that the front portion of both, therear and front runners, will have the same regirtering bottom curvaturesor rocking surfaces, whereby in the extreme forward rocking of thedevice, the rear ruimer will be locked and the weight of the device willrest thereon and on the ground, instead of on the pins and rollers inthe slots 46 and 41, as is the case with the device of said patent.

This arrangement, obviously, will relieve the pins and rollers of theweight at such phases of the operation of the device and will insure asmoother operation and longer life for my rocking device.

Finally, at the foremost rocking of thedevice the bottom Icurvatures orrocking surfaces of the front and rear runners will be the same and willregister and the device will then change from one runner to the othervery smoothly. This action will be similar on the rearward rocking whenchanging the weight of the device fromv the front runners to the rearrunners whereby the rocking of the device in both directions and thechanging from one runner to the other will be effected without anyshocks and in the very simple smooth continuous manner as against theshocks produced in the device of said patent.

As has been mentioned, the head 5B of the horse 23 will be separatedfrom the body 51 thereof and will be secured on a shaft 62 rotatable insaid body. The lower end of the shaft is bent forwardly, as indicated at1| (Figs. 1 and 3) and will engage a ring 12 which is secured on atransversely slidable bar 13, as by the screw 14. Bar 13 is'slidable inan appropriate slot 15 in the forward cross member 55.

The rear runner 24 of the right hand rocker member 2| will have anaperture 16 provided in its inner leg 29 and a similar aperture 11 willbe provided in the inner leg '29 of the rear runner 24 of the left handrocker member 22. Upon a right hand turning of the head 58, and with itthe shaft B2, the sliding bar 13 will be pushed through the left handaperture 11 until it will strike the respective front runner Z5 wherebythe left hand front and rear runners will be prevented from a relativeslidingmotion against one another and that side of the device will actlike an ordinary rocking device with a fixed rocker while the `otherside will remain advancing and therefore the device will turn to theright. Similarly, if the head of the horse will be turned in a left handdirection, the whole device will turn in the same manner, therefore therocking horse will be caused to turn right or left as the horses head isturned in the respective directions, and this result will be attainedwith the very simple construction of the shaft 62, ring 12 and slidingbar 13 as described.

On account of the said quick release of they front runners, theiradvance will be quicker than was the ycase with the device of saidpatent and the rocking horse of the present construction will turnquicker and with larger amounts.

Having thus described my invention in some detail, what I claim as newand desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In an advancing rocking device, a rear runner, a front runner thereonshorter than said rear runner, means to provide relative predeterminedforward motions between the two runners, said two runners havingidentical bottom curvatures, or rocking surfaces, at their front ends,but with the bottom of the rear runner being recessed along vthe bottomsurface for a distance shorter than the length of the front runner toallow the front runner to become the bearing surface during a phase ofthe rocking motion, the rear of the rear runner then having a largercurvature for its rear rocking surface whereby in the foremost positionof the runners each will engage the ground, nien for the aforesaid phaseof its rocking the device may entirely be supported by the frontrunners, vand then again for a period by the rear runners only, thetransition from one runner to the other being quickly and early executedthrough said smaller curvature in the rear part of the front runner thanthe curvature in the rear part of the rear runner.

2. In a device of claim l, a limiting member for the forward motion ofthe front runner at the front end of the rear runner.

3. In a device, as set forth in claim l, said two curvatures in saidrear runner meeting in a smoothly continuous tangential manner, and saidcurvature of the front runner .also meeting the curvatures in the rearrunner in a similar manner, whereby the transit from one curvature tothe other will be smooth and without any shock.

4. In a device'of claim 1, said front curvature of the rear runner beingcontinued in a continuous unbroken manner to the front end of saidrunner.

5. In an advancing rocking device, having a pair of front and rearrunners at each side thereof, a horse shaped connecting body structurecarried by said rear runners, and the advancing being provided by therelative motion of the two runners, a vertical shaft rotatable in saidhorse shaped connecting structure and having rotating imeans in theshape of the head of a horse secured thereon and rotatable therewith, asliding transverse barin the device below the front of said horse shapedconnecting structure, a ring secured on said bar, the lower end of saidshaft being bent and passed through said ring, said front runners beingin a space inside of said rear runners, an aperture in each rear runneradapted to permit the respective end of said bar to pass therethroughwhen the said rotating means and the shaft is turned in the respectivedirection correspondingly moving said bar, said bar then preventing arelative motion of the respective front runner, but permittiing anadvancing of the other front runner and thereby causing the horse toturn in said direction when rocking.

6. In an advancing rocking device, the combination comprising a pair ofrear runners, a connecting body structure carried by said rear runners,a pair of front runners, said front runners being in a space inside saidrear runners, means to provide a relative predetermined forward motionbetween each front runner and each rear runner, said front runners andsaid rear runners having identical bottom curvatures, or rockingsurfaces, at their front ends, but with the bottom of the rear runnerbeing recessed along the bottom surface for a distance shorter than thelength of the front runner to allow the front runner to become thebearing surface during a phase of the rocking motion, the rear of therear runners then having larger curvatures for their rear rockingsurfaces whereby in the foremost position of said runners each willengage the ground, then for the aforesaid phase of its rocking thedevice may entirely be supported by the front runners only, thetransition from one pair of runners to the other pair being quickly andclearly executed through said smaller curvature in the rear part of thefront runners than the curvature in the rear part of the rear runner,normally disengaged engaging means for preventing a relative motion ofone front runner but permitting an advancing of the other front runnerand thereby causing the device to turn in said' direction when rocking.

7` 7. In an advancing rocking device, the combination comprising a pairof rear runners at each side thereof, a connecting body structurecarried by said rear runners, a pair of front run-v ners at each sidethereof, said front `runners being in a space inside said rear runners,means to provide relative predetermined forward motion between eachfront runner and each rear runner, said front runners and said rearrunners having identical bottom curvatures, or rocking surfaces, attheir front ends, but with the bottom of the rear runner being recessedalong the bottom surface for a distance shorter than the length of thefront runner to allow the front runner to become the bearing surfaceduring a phase of the rocking motion, the rear of the rear runners thenhaving larger curvatures for their rear rocking surfaces whereby in theforemost position of said runners each will engage the ground, then forthe aforesaid phase of its rocking the device may entirely be supportedby the front runners, and then again by the rear runners only, thetransition from one pair oi runners to the other pair being quickly andclearly executed through said smaller curvature in the rear part of thefront runners than the curvature in the rear part of the rear runners, avertical shaft rotatable in said body structure, rotating means securedthereon and rotatable therewith, a slidable transverse bar below thefront of said connecting structure, a ring secured on said bar, thelower end of said shaft being bent and passed through said ring,v

an aperture in each rear runner adapted to permit the respective end ofsaid bar to pass therethrough when said rotating means and said shaft isturned in the respective direction correspondingly moving said bar, saidbar then preventing a relative motion of the respective front runnerlbut permitting an advancing of the other front runner and therebycausing said rocking device to turn in said direction when rocking.

8. In a device, as set forth in claim '7, a connecting body structurecarried by said rear runners of such shape, contours, and dimensions asto simulate the body of a horse and rotating means secured on saidvertical shaft and rotatable therewith of such shape, contours, anddimensions as to simulate the head of a horse.

9. In an advancing rocking device, having a pair of frontv and rearrunners on each side thereof, a connecting body structure carried bysaid rear runners, and the advancing being provided by the relativemotion of the two runners; a vertical shaft rotatable in said bodystructure, rotating means secured thereon and rotatable therewith, aslidable transverse bar below the front of said connecting bodystructure, a ring secured on said bar, the lower end of said shaft beingbent and passed through said ring, an aperture in each rear runneradapted to permit the respective end of said bar to pass therethroughwhen said rotating means and said 'shaft is turned in the respectivedirection correspondingly moving said bar, said bar then preventing arelative motion of the respective front runner, but permitting anadvancing of the other front runner and thereby causing the rockingdevice to turn in said direction when rocking.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 96,708 Lautensclager Nov. 9, 1869 2,487,663 Mikulic Nov. 8,1949 2,490,059 Jacobs Dec. 6, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date15,823 Great Britain Aug. 20, 1903 158,240 Germany Feb. 6, 1905

